No charges in Sandra Bland's death, rules grand jury

Sandra Bland, 28, was found dead in a Texas jail cell on July 13, three days
after she was arrested during a traffic stop

Sandra Bland told officers she had attempted to commit suicide in the past year

By AP

11:00AM GMT 22 Dec 2015

A grand jury decided on Monday that no felony crime was committed by the sheriff's office or jailers in the treatment of a black woman who died in a south-east Texas county jail last summer in a case that drew national attention.

But prosecutor Darrell Jordan said the Waller County grand jury reached no decision on whether the police trooper who arrested 28-year-old Sandra Bland should face charges. The grand jury will return in January to consider that issue.

A vigil for Sandra Bland in Prairie View, Texas, earlier this month The Chicago-area woman was pulled over July 10 by a Texas state trooper for making an improper lane change. Dashboard camera video showed their interaction quickly became confrontational and she was arrested for assault.

Bland was taken in handcuffs to the county jail in nearby Hempstead, about 50 miles north-west of Houston, and remained there when she couldn't raise about $500 (£330) for bail. She was discovered dead in her jail cell three days later, hanging from a cell partition with a plastic garbage bag used as a ligature around her neck.

Her arrest and death came amid heightened national scrutiny of police and their dealings with black suspects, especially those killed by officers or who died in police custody. Her case was among those which fuelled the nationwide "Black Lives Matter" protest movement.

Cannon Lambert, an attorney representing Bland's family, said on Monday the decision was consistent with what the family believes has so far been an attempt by authorities to cover up the events after Bland's arrest.

"They continue to do things we are disappointed in," he said.

Bland's mother and sisters spoke at a news conference in Chicago before Monday night's announcement, where they said they had no faith in the grand jury.

Bland's mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, said she wanted to see all the evidence and is frustrated by delays in the case.

In the days after her death, county authorities released video from the jail to dispel rumours and conspiracy theories that Bland was dead before she arrived at the jail or was killed while in custody. County officials said they had received death threats.

"After presenting all the evidence as it relates to the death of Sandra Bland, the grand jury did not return an indictment," Mr Jordan said after the grand jury met Monday for about 11 hours. "The grand jury also considered things that occurred at the jail and did not return an indictment."

Mr Jordan is one of five special prosecutors appointed by the county's district attorney, Elton Mathis.

"Having an independent committee to evaluate the case, that can be a positive thing in a situation like this," Brian Serr, a law professor at Baylor University said.

Sandra Bland pictured at the county jail in nearby Hempstead Photo: APTNBland's mother filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in federal court in Houston against the trooper, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Waller County and two jail employees. State lawyers have asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit. A judge last week set it for trial in January 2017.

The Bland family attorneys contend Waller County jailers should have checked on her more frequently and that the county should have performed mental evaluations once she disclosed she had a history of attempting suicide. In her lawsuit, Ms Reed-Veal also contends that the trooper who arrested her daughter, Brian Encinia, falsified the assault allegation to take Bland into custody and that jail personnel failed to keep her daughter safe.

County officials have said Bland was treated well while locked up and produced documents that show she gave jail workers inconsistent information about whether she was suicidal.

Mr Encinia, who in June completed a year-long probationary stint as a new trooper, has been on administrative duty since the Bland death.

Dashboard camera video from his car showed Mr Encinia at one point holding a stun gun and yelling at Bland, "I will light you up!" after she refuses to get out of her car. The director of the Department of Public Safety, Steve McCraw, has said Mr Encinia violated internal policies of professionalism and courtesy.

Melissa Hamilton, visiting criminal law scholar at the University of Houston, said Bland had no legal right to remain in her car after the trooper ordered her out.